ENG vs IND 2018: England need to play their A game to beat India in the ODI series, says Joe Root

The first match will be played today at Trent Bridge.

England's Test captain, Joe Root believes England must play their top game to win against Virat Kohli-led Indian side in the ODI series. Root feels England can put up a good competition against India as earlier they have beaten Australia by 5-0 in the ODI series. The first One-Day International match between England and India will take place today at Trent Bridge Cricket Stadium.

"India have been a really strong team in this format for a long time. They won (ODI series) last time they came over here. I know it was a very different side they played against but it is a really good marker to see where we are," said Root.

"We have played some really strong cricket in one day format and India are right up there as one of the best one day sides in the world. They present different challenges to the ones we have recently faced but we know that if we play to our potential, keep learning and improving we will be a difficult side to play especially at home," he added.

"I fully understood the decision. It can't have been an easy one for them to make but that is part and parcel of having a really strong squad. You have to take that. It is always difficult being left out and you never like that as a player. Having been captain myself I know how hard it can be.

"One thing is for sure is it is great to see Ben Stokes back to somewhere near fully fit. He is such a big asset to all three teams and with him firing hopefully throughout this series we will see some really strong performances from him and long-term for England that is a really good thing," he said.

"I don't have any fears about it. I want to see us being as complete a side as possible in all three competitions, but I want to be a part of them. It's difficult because of the limited opportunities I've had to play T20 cricket, but the thing that has always been at the forefront of my mind is that playing for England comes first."

Talking about missing out on playing in the IPL, Root said, "All the domestic tournaments around the world, they have to fit around playing for England. Whether that's making sure I get enough rest, or obviously if there are international games throughout those tournaments, I'm going to have to miss out.

"Until there's a really good block for me to go and play T20 cricket somewhere in a domestic tournament, it's going to be hard for me to get a string of games together and really put that case across."

The ODI series will be really interesting as it will bring all the audience the clash of number 1 and number 2 side. Root added that it will be a great learning curve for all the players ahead of the World Cup 2019.

"Yes it does (present opportunities to grab spots) and ahead of a World Cup that's what you want. You want guys outside pushing as hard as possible and making those difficult decisions. It can't be easy but it shows where we have come to in the last three or four years in this format. It can't be a bad thing," he said.

Meanwhile, India might also miss the services of Bhuvneshwar Kumar due to back spasm. He was also ruled out from the third T20I match against England.

"I think it is dangerous to start thinking too far ahead (in terms of predicting high scores). One thing that generally we have been good at last couple of years is assessing things early on and planning an innings from there. It might be the case, it might not, but we will try to win this series and do everything we can to come out of an impressive white ball summer," he said.

"India are in a place where they have some great depth in that (bowling) department. You can see it in the IPL, a number of guys have done extremely well. Even if the frontline guys aren't playing, we still have to play well. They will pose different challenges to us as a seam attack," Root added